CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's basketball (10-1, 0-0 Ivy) surpassed 10 wins on the season, dropping Rhode Island (4-7, 0-0 A10), 60-48, on its home court this afternoon.
The Crimson were led by 26-points, four rebounds, and four steals from senior guard,
Harmoni Turner. After surpassing 18 points in the contest the Mansfield, Texas native moved into fifth all-time in Harvard scoring, moving past Tammy Butler '95.
How it Happened
It was a slow offensive start for the Crimson as it didn't register a field goal in the opening five minutes and fell behind, 7-2. Out of the media break, however, Harvard came to life beginning with
Gabby Anderson knocking down a triple and
Harmoni Turner adding back-to-back buckets. Ultimately, Harvard would overtake the lead and never relinquish it for the remainder of the contest. After the first ten minutes it led by five over the Rams of URI.
The Crimson continued its smothering defensive effort that has been prominent all season long, holding the Rams to just two points through nearly seven minutes in the second frame. While URI recovered from its offensive lulls, Harvard still outpaced its foe in the frame and continued to hold a 29-22 advantage headed into the locker room.
Out of the break, the Rams cut Harvard's lead to three but the Crimson followed with a 9-0 run to grow its largest lead of the day so far at 41-29. Despite a URI triple with less than a minute remaining, Harvard continue to hold a double-digit advantage with just 10 minutes remaining in the contest.
A 7-2 quarter opening run by the Rams cut the Crimson lead to five as the midway point of the frame neared but a triple from
Abigail Wright halted URI's growing momentum. Harvard responded to each URI run, continuing to maintain an eight-point lead down the stretch with clutch buckets from Turner and
Alayna Rocco. The Crimson gave up its last field goal at the 1:25 mark and solidified its eighth straight victory at 60-48 with four straight free throws in the closing seconds.
Harvard Highlights
- Harvard continues to grow its second best start in program history, improving to 10-1 and winning its eighth straight contest.
- Harmoni Turner led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-21 shooting while also adding four rebounds, two assists, and a team-high four steals.
- With her 26-point performance, Turner moved into fifth all-time in scoring in Harvard women's basketball history with 1,614 points and counting.
- Elena Rodriguez recorded her sixth straight double figure performance, adding 10 points. The senior had an all-around performance, adding a team-best five assists and three steals.
- Saniyah Glenn-Bello provided strong minutes for the Crimson, adding seven points on 50% shooting and three rebounds.
- The Crimson defense forced 22 Rams turnovers and capitalized for 24 points off of the miscues. On the opposite end of the ball, the Crimson turned the ball over just nine times.
- Harvard improves to 13-10 all-time against the Rams, including being 3-1 against the foe in the Carrie Moore era.
Next Up
Following a two-week break, the Crimson will return to Lavietes Pavilion to face its third crosstown foe of the season, welcoming Boston University to Cambridge on Saturday, December 21. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. in Lavietes and on ESPN+.
